You may have heard about the numerous food banks which have been forced to open all around the country. They’re commonly run by volunteer and church groups, and aim to provide food for those who are simply too poor to buy it themselves. You can be referred to a food bank by your local job centre or by your GP. The food you get is donated by members of the public and by businesses and often is requested by the food bank in advance, so it’s generally staple foods like pasta and rice, and tinned goods which don’t perish.

Recently, it’s come out that some people in poverty have been returning food to food banks as they cannot afford to heat it up. The cost of energy has risen so high that for some, it’s simply too expensive to heat even free soup. This has outraged many people and has led to a widespread condemning of the way that the public have taken the brunt of the cuts since the recession. This was further exacerbated recently when it came out that many MPs are actually claiming for their heating and electricity bills on their expenses, and many of these were claiming for their second homes.

Although you may not be living in poverty yourself, you may be surprised at how easily you can find yourself struggling with money. Making cuts in your own life and putting money away for emergencies is very important, and something which you should be striving to do no matter what you earn. Read on for some tips about eating for cheap.

Bulk buy

One of the best ways to save money in the long run is to bulk buy your staple foods. This is because smaller packets tend to be more expensive than larger ones when you look at it as pence per weight unit. It is best to do this with non-perishable foods such as rice and dried pasta, as well as cous cous and other grains. Dried beans and lentils can also be bought in bulk. As long as you have a dry, clean place to store these items, you could be saving a huge amount by stocking food in this way.

Cook from scratch

Cooking meals from scratch is a must if you want to save money. Pre-prepared vegetables and ready meals are often highly marked up in price. When you break down the ingredients in each, it can be shocking to realise just how much you’re paying for very little. If you don’t know how to cook from scratch, ease yourself into it by learning one or two skills at a time. Use books from your local library or how-to videos online.

Go meat-free

Although not everyone is able to go completely vegetarian, having one or two meat-free days each week can end up saving you a lot of money. Vegetarian dishes are often easy to make and can be just as delicious and filling as ones which include meat.